Current collector for toy electric bolling stock



Nov. 20, 1945. R. G. SMITH 2,389,28@

CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR TOY ELECTRIC ROLLING STOCK Original Filed Oct. 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 20, 1%5. R. G. SMITH 2389,20

CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR TOY ELECTRIC ROLLING STOCK Original Filed Oct. 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE CURRENT COLLECTOR FOR TOY ELECTRIC ROLLING STOCK Richard G. Smith, Amsterdam; N. Y.

8 Claims. (01. 24619'5) This invention relates to wheeled toys or toy railway cars and to appurtenances associated with both the car and the track on which it runs for furnishing a toy electric train at selected or predetermined times with a special supply of electric current aside from that utilized for draft power, as for instance; to cause electrically powered actuation of some special apparatus carried by the car. The present application is divisional from my 'copending applications, Serial Nos. 337,625 and 461,947 filed May 2 8, 1940, and October 14, 1942, respectively, the former having eventuated in Patent No. 2,373,148 granted April 10, 1945.

' One object of the invention is to equip a toy railway car with automatic actuating means electrically powered through track-side sources of current supply from which electrical energy may be picked up by the toy car as the latter passes predetermined points along the track. The'invention aims for accomplishing this to provide current collecting toy parts of sufiiciently simple construction and low cost to make possible a large quantity sale and production that will reduce consumer price. I This is a prime requisite in toys.

A further object is to provide novel electric current transmitting means, including a simplified form of current collection shoe especially suited for toys, whereby mechanism for occasional use carried by the toy railway car may be caused to perform its special function at will and independently of the electric track circuit which supplies current for running the train, so that desired actuation of such mechanism can be caused to take place either while the car is running along its track or when the car stands stationary on the track.

My improved ways and means for attaining the foregoing and other objects will become clear from the examples thereof pointed out in the following description, in which description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein all parts shown in section are assumed to be viewed in the direction indicated by arrows applied to the several section planes.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a toy railway trackwith a portionof a toy freight car of the flat-car type riding thereon equipped with automtaic unloading apparatus operable by a carcarried electromagnet. 1

Fig. 2 is a view taken in section on the plane 2-4 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 i a view taken in section on the planes 3-3 in-Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary inverted plan view taken partly in section on the plane 4-4 in Fig 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged View of the fourth rail and' I -s s in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a diagram of electric circuits for supplying current to propel the train and independently to operate the car-carried unloading mechamsm.

The toy railway car embodying the present improvements is indicated as a whole by III in Fig. 1. Whereas for simplicity it coupling parts or draft gear and the adjoining cars of its train are not shown, it will be understood that such may be of conventional form, the wheels of the cars and locomotive of the train riding on the two outside or traction rails H and I2 which are supported by, and may be in electrical contact'with, the sleepers l3 as usual. The middle or third or power rail 14 supplies electric current to be picked up by the trolley or collector shoe of the toy locomotive and hence is insulated from the sleepers l3 and from traction rails II and 12 in any suitable manner as at l5. Car ll] rolls on its usual form of toy traction wheels l6 whose axles support spaced trucks IT. The flat platform IQ of the car chassis rests pivotally on each of the trucks H in usual manner and as illustrated herein includes a top deck 20 which affords therebelow a shallow space 2| occupied by certain parts of the unloading mechanlsm.

The unloading mechanism consists mainly of three principalunits including an elongated runway type of turn-tilt table 22 hinged on the fulcrum bracket 23 by means of the pivot pin 24. Thi fulcrum bracket rests ontop of the deck 20 of platform I9 and swivels in relation thereto. The third main unit of the unloading mechanism comprises electromagnetic actuating means 10- gatsz? under the car and designated as a whole The U-shaped fulcrum bracket 23 consists of a bed Wall 28 from either side of which upstands the spaced and tapering head walls 29 containing in their low ends holes for pivot pin 24 and in their high ends the detent notches 31 opening upward. A part of one head wall 29 is diverted horizontally to form a fiat continuation of the bed wall 28 thereby afiording a lug 35 containing a pivot hole ofiset considerably from the longitudinal center line of the bracket. Another part of permitting the fulcrum bracket to swivel freely from its normal position shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 to its unloading position crosswise of the car shown in Fig. 3 and by broken lines in Fig. 1. An aperture 34 in table 22 makes room for the head of pivot stud 38. This swiveling movement of the fulcrum bracket is limited to 90 degrees of swing by the engagement of the actuating tongue 31 of bracket 23 with opposite ends of an arcuate slot 39 in the deck 20 of the car platform, through which slot tongue" 31 extends downward to be engaged by the actuating cam plate 43 within the shallow deck space 2L Cam plate 43 has a flange 42 fixed rigidly on and carried by the extreme end of a magnet plunger 44 which as best shown in Fig. 4' is slidable into and out of the magnet solenoid 45 of usual con-' V solenoid upon the plunger overcomes the expansive tension in spring 49 and draws magnet plunger 44 inward thus shifting its carried cam plate 43 to the position 431) shown by broken lines in Fig. 4. p

the cooperative action of cam plate 43 and tongue 31- it will be understood that the cam plate moves in a straight path of travel while the tongue must rnove in an arcuatepath. In the e r r l qnsh o hi t n u n am ate shown in full lines inFig. 4, the tongue 31 occupies a notch forming a branch of the main aperture 52 the cam plate. Starting with the relatignship of parts shownin full iines in Fig. 4, it will be'seen that the fulcrum bracket 23 is locked; -against movement because tongue 3.1. is lodged in notch 5 l until the cam plate 4.3 has completed a preliminary movement toward the 18ft. Until thishas. occurred no movement of tongue 31 (in a direction toward the plunger 44 as required by the tonguesarcuate path of travel) can take place. Nevertheless the lodging of tongue .31 within notch 5! in no way restrains camplate 43 from moving toward the left when the-.,solen,oid 4,5 is electrically energized. The beginning of the cam plate movement toward the left will shift the cam plate aperture 52 and its branch notch 5i into the broken line position 43a indicated in Fig. i. Atthis point tongue 3! has become freed from notch 5| so that continued movement of cam plate 43 toward the left results inthe right edge 53 of aperture 52 picking up and mpcllingtongue' 3.1. to. the position of parts 43b shown in Fig. 4. .7

. In the reverse mQvement of the cam plate from left to right in, Fig. 4, the first portion of the corresponding travel of aperture 52 constitutes lost motion relative to tongue 37*, but thereafter the leftedge ;5 4 of aperture 52 picks up. and impels tongue 31 ahead of it toward-the right, this tongue gradually swinging counterclockwise in Fig. 4 to its broken line position 43a in the latter figure wherein the edge of tongue 31 is nearly disposed to be received again into the notch 52 which again will then cause the tongue to become locked against movement other than by subsequent actuation through plunger 34, as represented by full lines in Fig. 4.

- In the position of fulcrum bracket 23 shown in Fig. 3 and by broken lines in Fig. l, the pivot pin 24 is swung to aposition best shown in Fig. 3 which is nearly at the side edge of the platform deck 20 of the'car so that the right end of the turn-tilt table 22, which in Figs. 1, 2 and 4 rests upon and is prevented from tilting downward by the platform deck 20, now overhangs and is free from restraint by the platform edge when in its broken line position in Figs. 1 and 3 so that it may tilt downward to its full line position shown in Fig. 3. In the absence of a load thereon, table 2? will not tilt downward away from its horizontal position becausethe load delivering end of the table contains a large aperture 56 which so much reduces the weight of this end of the table that the other end 57 at the opposite side of pivot pin 24. is the heavier. This preponderance of weight of the table end 57 is normally supported by the platform deck 20 causing the tablev to maintain its broken line position in Fig. 3. But if a heavy enou h load'59 is carried. by the table 22 in such manner that the, center of gravity of the load falls on the load delivering side of p vot 26, a turning moment may thereby be set up causing the table to tilt clockwise into its full line position in Fig. 3, because the preponderance of weight is then on the load delivering end of the table. An, inclined chute is thus provided by the tilted table off from which the load may slide or roll.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the indicated load object, may consist. of a. toy wheeled vehicle 59 haying two rear wheels, as 6.0, and two front wheels, is El. The rear wheels in the usual manner of a toy vehicle are connected by an axle 62 which may be lodged loosely and removably within'the detent notches. 3! of the fulcrum bracket 23. This'so positionsthe toy load vehicle on the turn-tilt ta-. ble 22 that the centerqf ravity of thelatter falls on the load delivering end of the table which contains aperture 56 so that this end of the table plus its load becomes heavier than the opposite end 51 of the table plus the latters share of the load, if any, with respect to the. fulcrum pivot, 24. Hence, the described dispositioning of the weight of the load vehicle cancause the table 22; to tilt from its. broken line position in Fig. 3 to its full line position in Fig. 3 by gravity effect alone, whereupon the vehicle axle 62 is swung upward out of and free from the detent notches 3t enabling. he eh e o o do and of! from t e ab Q ov d snide, s. to d rect e load vehicle lengthwise cf the tableZZ. Eh? latter is ro ed wi unt rned. ed fla ges is n w thfii i ar y uptu ned nn rrflcnses 6.4 wh ch receive the fiulcr nr ivot p n 4; and provide. a smooth bearing thrust againstthc. sides, of fulcrum bracket23. 1

A conductive circuit by which solenoid 45 is furnished with electric current forpulling plunger 44 toward the leftrin Fig. 4 includes the grounding of one end of the solenoid winding to. the me tallic car platform at .66. by means of the lead 61, while the other end of the same-solenoid Winding terminates in a. lead 68 which is soldered 0r conductively secured otherwise .to. a;me.tallic conductive anchorage "orf'su pport element 69 on each side of the car. Element 69 comprises an electrically conductive angle bracket of bent sheet rail I5. The convexly curved wire loop surface of the'out'side of coil I2 is thus disposed'to contact withand' wipe along current feeder I5. Other characteristics of coil I2 are that its loops of conductiv'e wire lie'in a helical path having an axis disposed crosswise this feeder. Normally coil I2 forfns a straight resiliently flexible elongated hollow cylinder capable of temporarily springing into a bowed shape without causing the close-wound loops of the coil to separate sufficiently to admit the current feeder I5 therebetween. 'The latter comprises an angle strip spanning and held fixedly on the top of the ends of two or more of the track sleepers I3 by screws 16 and together with screws I5 is insulated therefrom by separators I'I.

A desirable arrangement of circuit connections and control instrumentalities for operating this improved toy is shown in Fig. '7 wherein 80 represents a variable transformer capable of stepping down a home current supply line of 110 volts to a toy output range of, say 7 /2 to 15 volts. In the transformer here indicated a potential of 15 volts may be constantly delivered across binding posts 83 and 82 while the potential across bindin posts 8i and 82 can be modulated between 7 /2 volts and 15 volts by turning the voltage regulating knob 84. A line 85 connects binding post 8! with the third rail l4 of the track from which driving power is derived by the electric locomotive of the toy train. A line 86 connects binding post 83 with the fourth rail 15, and this line is interruptable by a manually operable switch 81. A line 88 connects binding post 82 with either or both of the traction rails H or l2.

In operation a train containing the unloading car I may run over the tracks of any desired toy railway lay-out at speeds determined by the voltage regulating knob 84 of the transformer 80 which will vary the potential between transformer terminals 8l-82 and thereby between rails I2 and 14 without of necessity changing the potential of 15 volts always available to rails l4 and I from transformer terminals 83-42 through the manual switch 81. The car I0, whose chassis including platform I9 carries the vehicle 59 positioned thereon as in Figs. 1 and 2, may be unloaded by the action indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 when its current pick-up shoe, or cats whisker I2, is in contact with fourth rail I5 if switch 81 then be closed. This will establish a volt circuit, traceable from 83 through 8B, 81, 80, 12, 68, the car carried solenoid 21 or 45, 61 and then the car platform, truck and wheels to traction rail l2 and thence back to the transformer terminal 82 through the lead 88. Upon thus being electrically energized, solenoid 45 draws into itself the magnetic plunger 44 which by movement toward the left in Fig. 4 causes the cam plate 43 F to swing the fulcrum bracket 23 and with it the turn tilt table 22 a'quarter turn from positions shown in Figs. 1 and '2' to positions shown in Fig. 3 and in broken lines in Fig. 1. Thereupon theweight' of the toy load vehicle 59 becomes offset with respect to the edge of the car and tilts table 22 from its broken line position to its full line position in Fi 3, whereupon the load vehicle rolls down and off from the turn-tilt table at the side of'the track. Upon being relieved of the weight of the load vehicle, the heavier end 5! of theturn-tilt table restores the latter to its broken line position in Fig; 5 whereupon if solenoid 45 is deenergized, spring 49 acts through cam plate 43 to swing the table 22 back into longitudinal alignment with the platform of the railway car as shown'in' Figs. 1 and 2, ready to receive, transport and later discharge another toy load when placed thereon.

- .As a current pick-up shoe such as I2 is provided at lc'oth sides of the car, the fourth rail I5'may be placed on'either side of the track.

This and many other modifications are possible and will be suggested by the teachings of this disclosure, it being understood that load objects other than a wheeled vehicle and whether capable or incapable of rolling may be discharged from a turn-tilt table by such means as are herein provided so long as their weight can be swung about to a position sufficiently overhanging the ed e of the car with respect to the fulcrum pivot 24. Where this is not the case, means for forcibly causing the turn-tilt table to assume its inclined position may be provided if desired.

The following claims are directed to and are intended to cover all substitutes and equivalents of the parts which are herein shown merely to illustrate the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. Current collecting equipment for wheeled toys, including the combination with a track and a wheeled toy adapted to travel therealong, of an electrically conductive current feeder stationed beside and elongated in the direction of said track, a support element carried by said toy, and a flexible spring coil comprised of loops of resilient helically wound conductive wire, said coil having one of its ends anchored to said support element and having a freely flexible portion of its length projecting from said support element in such position that the convexly curved wire loop surface of the outside of said coil wipes yieldingly against said current feeder as the toy travels along said track.

2. Current collecting equipment for wheeled toys, including the combination defined in claim 1, in which the said loops of said conductive wire lie in a helical path having an axis disposed crosswise the said current feeder.

3. Current collecting equipment for wheeled toys, including the combination defined in claim 1, in which the said conductive wire i helically close wound in a manner to form a normally straight resiliently flexible elongated cylindrical coil.

4. Current collecting equipment for wheeled toys, including the combination defined in claim 1, in which the said conductive wire is resilient and forms a hollow elongated straight cylindrical coil extending crosswise past and engaging broadside with the said current feeder and is helically close-wound to enable said coil temporarily to spring into a bowed shape withou causing the close-wound loops of said coil to separate sufficiently to admit said current feeder therebetween.

5. Gu -rent collecting equipment'ior wheeled toys; including the; combination defined; inv claim 1, in which the said; wire isemund in cross section and defines. a. hollow. cyiindticalanohored end of the saidcoilrwgeth'enwith anoonductive anchoragev carried by said supportelement insulated relation to. the saidtoy, said. anohorege including .a, projection of rectangulan cross sec! tion occupying and. supporting" said; hollow end of the coil. r

6. Current collecting equipment iorowheeled toys, including the combination definedinclaim 1, in whichthe said anchonedi end of the said, coil is hollow, together with. anelectrioallyinsulative plate fixed on the said toy, an elect-fi sally conductive bracket QfJShEEt metalhaving one portion secured to said plateand having another portion reduced in cross. section and projecting to occupy and fit said, hollow endwof the coil in a manner to support the latter in a position. projecting laterallyv away from said. in! sulative plate.

'1; Current :cokleotin equi ment tor wheeled toys includin the combination defined in laim 1;, in. which the said ancho ed enfi. oi the. said. coil is ho low, to e her wi h n ele tr cal y insmative plate fixed. on the said. toy'ran ele tri ally e nductive aneiemca cket havin -one branch. se uized to said plate and havin another enou Qt re: duoed cross sectionnrojeotine imm said plat in a direotiqn p rpendicul r there ooo pyineand fitting said hollow end of. the coil n manner to supmrtthe latten v 8,; Current oolleotine equ pment for wheeled toys. includin the combination defined .o aim 1, in which the eeid'support ement cqmprieee an. electrically oonduotive plate having a. body portion of relatively large area. secured on the ear in insulated relation theret and, havin a branch portion of reduced cross, section. projectne laterally away from said oar occupying and supportingv the said anchored end oi the. said. coil V v RICHARD Ci. SMITH. 

